


4 Times The Parents Could Have Caught On (And The Moment They Did)

by Demenior, neinlives



Series: Cuddle House [7]
Category: Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate
Genre: All the parents are involved, Mild Language, Multi, References to Incest, bad attempts at humor, except Jakes, its the 90s, mild homophobia, theyre mentioned briefly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-11
Updated: 2013-06-10
Packaged: 2017-12-14 14:58:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/838197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demenior/pseuds/Demenior, https://archiveofourown.org/users/neinlives/pseuds/neinlives
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Animorphs aren't as secret about their feelings for one another as they think they are.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Peter Is Oblivious

**Author's Note:**

> Naomi- Rachel's Mother  
> Jordan and Sara- Rachel's Little Sisters  
> Peter and Eva- Marco's Parents  
> Michelle and Walter- Cassie's Parents  
> Loren- Tobias' Mother  
> Steve and Jean- Jakes Parents
> 
> Set between Marco & Family joining the Hork Bajir, and before Cassie stops Jake from retrieving the Blue Box from Tom in 50

Marco was off talking with his friends- Tobias the hawk and Ax the andalite. Talking animals and aliens. Peter still couldn't believe this was their life. But his son was doing amazing things, changing the world and he had rescued Eva from death and brought her back. His son was fighting a war, had done many things and probably bad things he hadn't admitted to. Peter couldn't imagine anything that could make him think any less of his son now.

Both his wife and his son were so engrained in this war, right under his nose, that Peter was desperate to do whatever he could to help. He felt so out of his element, when Eva would lie awake at nights crying or when Marco would wake up screaming.

Peter found his son and his friends in a small meadow, tucked just off the main camp. He noticed the blue fur of the large andalite first, and then the two heads of hair on the boys sitting on the other side and leaning against the alien.

Marco jerked around as Peter walked into the clearing, the andalite was watching him with one of his unnerving stalk eyes and had probably alerted his son.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go fishing, Marco?" Peter asked, "of course both you boys are invited as well."

Peter actually didn't recognize the shirtless blonde boy who was sitting beside Marco and peeking over Ax's body.

Marco jumped up, "Dad hey, whoa, yeah of course- sure- I love fishing! We love fish- to fish." He smoothed out his hair- it had gotten long and often got tangled. Peter wished he had scissors. Eva might have been able to do something with it.

"Fantastic! Jara Hamee helped me find a good place to fish and your mom and I managed to put together a couple of poles," Peter jerked his thumb over his shoulder to indicate direction.

Marco nearly tripped over his feet walking towards him. He looked flushed- too much sun. Peter made a mental note to ask Jake to try and get them some sunscreen the next time he visited.

"Tobias, Ax?" Marco called.

"I'm good," the blonde boy said. So that was what Tobias looked like. It explained the lack of shirt- Peter still wasn't sure how the clothing worked but he didn't think hawks could wear clothes.

{I will catch up in a moment. This meadow is quite nice and I am hungry,} Ax said in their minds.

"Sure, see you soon then," Peter said.

"Traitors," Marco muttered, adjusting his clothes.

Sometimes kids didn't change.


	2. Michelle Thinks Cassie's Friends Are Weird

"Do you need some help?" Jake asked.

Michelle shook her head, "Thank you, Jake. I'm good- but I think Cassie could use a hand."

Jake nodded, "Okay, I'll go check."

It maybe was a little underhanded to send Jake after Cassie- with how obvious they were about how they felt about one another- but Michelle always believed in having something she could embarrass Cassie with, and she hoped she could catch them acting like children again. 

She crept back through the bushes, moving as silently as she could, and listening for voices.

Jake and Cassie were standing an appropriate distance apart. Michelle felt conflicted- this was good but at the same time she wanted to see her daughter do something _normal_ like kiss the boy she liked. Jake was attempting to convince Cassie to let him carry the firewood she had gathered. Cassie was determined to do the work herself and was being stubborn. 

Someone stomped down the trail Jake and Cassie were following and Michelle cursed at the interruption. Jake and Cassie moved even further apart, and then Rachel stepped into the clearing. Cassie smiled at her friend, and while she was distracted, Jake leaned in and snatched the wood from her. And kissed her on the cheek.

Michelle had to bite back a cheer when Cassie blushed and grinned, looking at Jake like she was so in love with him that she could burst and not at all shocked like it was an unexpected kiss.

Rachel laughed and called them disgustingly adorable, and sauntered over to join them. Michelle was happy they were comfortable being affectionate in front of their friends- but she'd hoped Cassie would have told her she and Jake were dating by now. 

Rachel told Jake to kiss Cassie properly, and actually leaned in like she was going to do so herself, but Cassie turned away and Rchel kissed her cheek while Jake rolled his eyes.

Rachel told him to lighten up, and smacked his rear. Michelle shook her head. Rachel had always been aggressive, and while Michelle thought that was a good contrast to Cassie's calm and patience, she wasn't sure she liked the way Rachel was being jokingly sexual. 

She ducked back and waited for the three teens to pass before she looped her way back to the cabin. Teenagers had always acted weird, it was nothing to worry about and neither Jake or Cassie seemed bothered. Michelle couldn't wait to tell Walter what she'd seen.

She just hoped Cassie would tell her about her relationship with Jake soon.


	3. Loren Is Happy Tobias Has Friends Who Care

Loren was often on the outside of the groups. She and Tobias tried to talk often, but she knew it was hard on him that she hadn't been around. From what she learned his childhood had not been good- her sister and brother-in-law had let her down and she felt ashamed she had left Tobias to such a poor lifestyle. Not that life with her would have been any better. Sometimes she wondered what life would have been like for the two of them if she had kept him, but she can't imagine it being good. She didn't know herself for years, still didn't have many memories, and could barely afford to look after herself. She wouldn't have been able to care for a child.

That was another thing. Tobias was her son, but he was also a stranger. She wanted to connect with him more, to be the mother he wanted her to be, but it was so hard. She didn't feel like she had any reason to pretend to be a mother. She didn't know how to be a mother.

And Tobias was no longer human, not entirely. It was another gap between them. And he had aged beyond his young years- all of the children had. They were strange creatures, hard to understand and get close to. But they were all friends, and it was good. That Tobias had friends, friends who appeared to know him well.

Aximili was one of Tobias' closest friends. Loren had found herself talking to him often, as he was also a bit of an outsider even among the Animorphs. Plus, she felt safe around him as if he was familiar to her.

She caught Aximili one day as he was slipping away from the group after lunch. He had morphed human to eat with them. It was always a sight to see him and food together and he was nearly covered in various foods. Often she liked to watch him run,and eat, in his natural form. Tobias sometimes accompanied him and she could talk to him with Aximili as a buffer.

"How are you today, Aximili?" She asked.

"Very good, vere-eee. Eeeee."

"Mind if I walk with you?"

"Yes please. I am going- ing- to a meadow," he said.

Tobias was also human and was sitting beside Rachel. She had an arm wrapped around his shoulders and he was leaning into her. He looked happy. Loren didn't want to disturb them.

"What are you looking at?" Aximili asked as they neared the woods. They paused and he began to demorph, blue fur covering his body, tail growing and his extra legs re-forming themselves.

"Tobias looks happy," she said.

{Yes, Tobias often grows more cheerful among the Animorphs,} Aximili replied.

"So he and Rachel are doing well together? They make a nice couple," Loren said.

She followed Aximili into the woods.

{Yes they are very happy together. It is nice to have a close partner,} Aximili said.

Loren felt sad at how alone he must feel, trapped so far from his own people, "Do you ever want a partner?" She asked, "even here on earth- it wouldn't be hard. Your human self is very attractive. Not that it's attractive to me, sorry, I didn't mean that. But I'm sure the girls your age would be interested."

Aximili didn't seem to pick up on her embarrassment. They came to a meadow with a small stream that he frequented. She stayed on the edge while he ran, staying within range to speak to her and be heard.

{I have been told my human morph is physically appealing to humans, but I would have assumed so anyways. It comes from very attractive DNA.}

Loren smiled, and raised her voice a bit to make sure she was heard, "That's very kind of you."

Aximili came to a halt near her, {It is simply the truth.}

Loren nodded, "Correct. Though, to be honest, only Jake and Rachel are what humans would consider to be conventionally attractive- Rachel most of all. But I suppose everyone is beautiful in their own way."

Aximili looked confused- a very human expression, Loren noted, {I believe all of my humans are the most beautiful and handsome humans I have known. I love them each for their differences and the things we share in comon. I only wish I had been able to acquire some of Tobias' human DNA because then my morph would have been perfect.}

Loren laughed, "Well my son is rather good looking, if I do say so myself."

{You are correct,} Aximili nodded, and bounded off across the meadow again.

She watched him run for a while, admiring the strength of his legs and the elegant curve of his tail. It almost felt like a half remembered dream.

Tobias landed on a branch above her.

"Hello," she said, glancing up, "how are you?"

He began preening his feathers, {Good, I suppose. I'll have to go hunting soon.}

"If... if you need help or anything, I can... I can't really help," she chuckled, "but I could come along for support if you want."

{It's okay,} Tobias sounded sad, {hunting is pretty boring and you don't need to watch me eat.}

"Okay. Could we go flying sometime? It would be nice to chat- Aximili and I had a nice conversation this afternoon," she tried.

{A nice talk- with Ax? What did you talk about?} Tobias sounded genuinely surprised.

"Honestly, we were talking about you. And how wonderful you are," she smiled up at him and his yellow-black eyes glared back at her. It was impossible to know what he was thinking.


	4. Eva Is Just Looking Out For Them

Waking up was one of Eva's favorite things about being free. She could open her own eyes and move her gaze wherever she wanted. She could stretch as much as she wanted, arch her back just so. She could feel Peters warm arms around her and she could touch his hands and turn to look upon his face. All of her own accord. Because she wanted to do it she _did._

Peter always slept deeply, even more so than he used to back in the city. He was always tired from days of physical work versus his office job life, and yet she didn't think she'd seen him so happy in a long time. Eva hadn't been this happy in a long time either. She had her husband back. And her son. Her entire family was within her reach and she could touch them.

Their cabin was small, just enough room for some storage, a table, and the two beds. There hadn't been enough room for an extra bed so Marco and Jake had been forced to share when the Animorphs evacuated to the valley.

Marco and Jake were curled around one another, a humorous imitation of her and Peter's position. All the more hilarious because her son (the poor boy had taken more after her, especially in height), her tiny, brave son, was trying to curl around Jake who was tall enough that his feet hung off the edge of the bed.

Peter had woken up when she got out of the bed and he joined her in holding back laughter at the boys.

"Hard to imagine they're saving the world," Peter whispered.

"They're capable of much more than you realize," Eva smiled.

Jake woke up like she did, silently and all at once. As soon as he shifted to look at them, Marco's eyes snapped open.

"Whaaa?" Jake mumbled, blinking now that he was assured of no threat. Marco groaned and pressed his face to Jake's back.

"We'll go start breakfast," Peter laughed.

The boys joined them quickly, dressed in their morphing clothes, and still rubbing sleep out of their eyes.

Jake twisted at the hips, stretching his back, "I think that bed is going to ruin me. No offence."

"I'm not too bad with massages," Marco offered, "I can try to work out some kinks if you want."

"Awesome," Jake said, and sat down so Marco could get behind him and start using his hands.

"Isn't that a little gay?" Peter said, "I mean, with the way you two keep waking up and then this- people are going to talk."

"So?" Marco said in good humor, "let them talk."

"It's not a good idea to have a bad reputation," Eva said from experience, "you have to be mindful of everything you do, especially as a leader. The way you present yourself is very important."

"It's just a massage," Jake said, flinching as Marco hit a sensitive spot, and let out a soft groan.

"Would you knock it off? It's not funny anymore, now it's weird," Peter said.

"Okay fine!" Marco shouted suddenly, all anger, "I'm sorry for making you feel uncomfortable while I was just helping Jake out! I, for one, hate having a sore back and thought 'wow I like it when people rub the knots out of my back why not return the favour'? But nooo, that's too _gay_."

"We were just offering some advice," Eva said patiently, "Marco you've never been a morning person. Wait until you eat then you'll understand my ancient wisdom. I just want to make sure you don't make any more bad decisions." She smiled, joking like she always did with him.

Marco scowled further, and looked like he was about to actually start a fight with her. Jake caught one of Marco's wrists and squeezed it quickly before getting up and moving to a different stump.

Eva could recognize a 'go calm down' order, even if she hadn't been around long. Marco stormed off in the direction of the camp latrines. Jake remained silent.

Mornings were rough. Marco would be back to his regular self by lunch.


	5. Truth Comes Out (And Naomi Yells)

"Rachel told us not to follow her!" Sara said.

"Shhhh!" Jordan hissed, "do you want her to catch us? Besides, mom said she was supposed to play with us but I bet she went off to kiss her _boyfriend_ or something gross."

Sara made a face, "so why are we trying to find her then? I don't want to see Rachel kissing a bird."

"Cause we can go tell mom where she is and then mom will get mad that she's kissing a boy!"

They fell silent, holding their breath.

"Why hello there Xena, fancy meeting you out here!"

Jordan felt her heart skip a beat. Maybe Marco would want to hang out with her. He was was better than Rachel- he was funny and smart and a little cute. And she wasn't just a kid anymore. Maybe he'd think she was cute too?

"C'mon," Jordan whispered, "just a little closer."

"I think Cassie was on her way," Rachel said, "and Tobias is off hunting."

"I don't think Jake's gonna make it. He, Ax and Toby are really involved in their planning. Pity, as Jake needs this the most," Marco said, and they heard him clap his hands together, "but lucky me I get to have the girls all to myself."

"You should be terrified," Rachel said, and Jordan could tell she was laughing.

Sara and her managed to get close enough to see them, and Jordan had to clamp a hand over Sara's mouth to keep her from gasping out loud.

Rachel was _kissing_ Marco.

Rachel was kissing _Marco_.

Marco was _not_ Rachel's _boyfriend_.

Jordan felt sick. She didn't know him very well but Tobias seemed really nice, and he really liked her sister for some reason. And Rachel _knew_ that she liked Marco.

They broke apart just as Cassie walked into the clearing.

"Sorry I'm late," Cassie said, "couldn't get away."

Jordan's heart leapt into her chest. She had terrible visions in her head, but Cassie was a super good girl and she and cousin Jake were together and they were in love and-

"Welcome to the party," Marco said.

And he kissed _Cassie_.

Marco was cousin Jakes best friend. Cassie was his girlfriend. How could they do that to cousin Jake?

Jordan tugged Sara and they got away as fast and as quietly as they could.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh," Sara said, "what do we do? That was so gross!"

"We..." Jordan didn't know the right thing, but she knew what Marco, Cassie and Rachel were doing was wrong. Was Cassie cheating with Marco- and Marco was cheating in her with Rachel, who was cheating with him on Tobias? Jordan thought all the Animorphs were friends. She couldn't believe they would do this to one another!

"We need to tell mom. She'll know what to do."

 

  
Naomi was enjoying the warmth of the fire with the other parents when Sara and Jordan came running out of the woods.

"Mom! Mom!" Sara was shouting.

"What's wrong?" Naomi stood up, worried for a brief moment that it was going to be terrible news.

"We need to talk... in private," Jordan said, glancing at the other parents.

Naomi relaxed, no one was dead, "Alright, what's got you two so worked up?"

Sara apparently couldn't contain herself and shouted, "We saw Marco kiss Rachel and Cassie!"

Naomi hadn't been expecting that. They also weren't far enough away to be out of earshot.

"What about Marco?" Eva asked.

"Girls, are you telling me the truth? Rachel is dating..." Naomi struggled to remember his name, "Tobias. And I thought Cassie was dating Jake."

Jordan shook her head, "Rachel was supposed to do stuff with us like you said but she snuck off and we followed her- and she met Marco in the woods and they kissed and then Cassie showed up and he kissed her!"

"That doesn't sound like Rachel at all, or Cassie," Michelle said.

"Marco may chase skirts but he'd never do something like that," Peter said, "I raised a boy with morals."

"My daughter is no two-timer," Naomi snapped, "if that's what you're implying."

Rachel, Marco and Cassie burst out of the woods in the same spot Jordan and Sara had come running out.

"There you are!" Rachel shouted, seeing her sisters, "I can't believe we lost you! Now come on and stop bothering the adults."

"Rachel," Naomi said coldly, "come here. Your sisters are saying some crazy things and we want to get this settled. I won't tolerate lying." She watched Jordan and Sara for any indication of guilt, and surprisingly saw none.

Rachel appeared to steady herself before walking forwards, "What's up?" She seemed nonchalant but Naomi knew by now that she couldn't trust Rachel's face for the truth anymore. Her daughter was talented at lying.

"Marco, Cassie, this includes you two as well," Michelle said, waving the other two children in.

Cassie immediately looked guilty, while Marco had Rachel's same air of arrogance as if nothing were wrong.

Naomi turned to Marco, "Jordan and Sara said they saw you kiss Rachel and then kiss Cassie. Is this  
true?"

Marco snorted, "Of course not! That's crazy!"

Eva cut in before Naomi could say anything, "Marco look at me. This is serious. Are you telling the truth?"

Cassie's eyes went wide as if she were watching a car accident. Naomi knew that Marco was very fond of his mother- perhaps he was unable to lie to her face.

Marco himself looked pale and he looked down at the ground, sighed loudly, "No."

"What is going on?" Walter said.

Marco kept his eyes firmly on the ground.

"Rachel!" Naomi snapped, "I am so ashamed of you! What will Tobias think of you when he finds out?"

Rachel folded her arms across her chest, "Maybe he doesn't need to find out cause its not a big deal!"

"Of course this is a big deal- you and Tobias made a commitment to one another? Marco do you realize this wasn't a joke? What this makes my daughter look like?"

"It won't happen again," Marco said, "if everyone would just drop it- it was an accident, a mistake, okay? Just forget it happened and there won't be any problems between Rachel and Tobias."

It was just at this moment that two identical hawks- Loren and Tobias- swooped down out of the evening sky. Lauren landed on the grass and began to demorph. Tobias settled on Rachel's shoulder.

{What's up?} Tobias asked, and when no one responded, {I'm assuming you were talking about me. Someone let me into the loop?}

"Rachel kissed Marco!" Jordan shouted, feeling particularly vengeful.

All eyes watched the hawk for a reaction.

Finally a quiet {Oh.}

"Yeah," Marco said quietly, "this is awkward."

"What's _awkward_ is that this is not how I raised you! Marco I am so disappointed in you!" Peter said.

Marco flinched, glancing up at the other Animorphs and silently begging for help.

Tobias ruffled his feathers, {Please don't be mad at Marco- he's a really good guy. I, uh, I knew about this.}

"What?" The parents said.

"What?" Rachel and Marco agreed.

{We, um, we kind of have an arrangement. I'm not... I can't be human all the time. And it's hard, for Rachel. So, uh, Marco is kind of the backup boyfriend. So it's okay.}

"That's not entirely conventional," Loren said, joining the group.

"You can't have _two_ boyfriends!" Sara said, shocked, "that's wrong!"

"Shut up," Rachel snapped, and she turned defiantly to the parents, "the three of us have a system that works for us, so back off."

"Rachel this is ridiculous," Naomi said, "it's not normal."

Rachel rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest, "Nothing about our lives is normal, mom, but we're happy and we're not hurting anyone!"

"Pardon me," Michelle said softly, "but Cassie- what is your involvement here?"

Cassie bit her lip.

"I'm going to grab Jake," Rachel said, "so we can put things straight."

{I've got it,} Tobias said. He didn't move so Ax and Jake must have still been in his thought-speak range.

"Cassie?" Michelle asked.

"It's true, I kissed Marco too," Cassie said, looking at the ground.

Marco and Rachel were both tense as if they wanted to get between Cassie and the adults and fight them off.

Jake and Ax arrived while the silence stretched on.

"Let me guess," Naomi said, "you have an 'arrangement' too?"

Jake looked like he was half paying attention, probably still being filled in by Tobias, and he responded a moment later, "Actually," he rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the ground, playing every part the bashful teen, "we do."

"What the hell?" Peter snapped.

"Marco's my best friend and Cassie is... Cassie is amazing," Jake shrugged, "and she and Marco get along and they both agreed to it. It's all good, don't worry about it."

"This isn't normal," Michelle said, "I'm sure this is probably illegal. It's not right, kids."

"Look," Marco cut in, "you may not like it but we're happy dating everyone, and no one is getting hurt so there's really nothing to complain about."

"What do you mean by _everyone_?" Eva asked, glancing between Marco and Jake.

Looks of shock or outright disgust appeared on every face in the group.

"Marco?" Eva pressed.

Marco let out a defeated sigh and muttered some words he never thought he would say in front of his mother, "Yeah I mean _everyone_. Boys too."

"That's disgusting," Naomi spat out.

Sara and Jordan both pulled sick faces at the thought of boys dating- and at the same time it seemed so ridiculous that they burst into nervous giggles.

"This must be illegal," Walter said, "there's something wrong with you kids- it must be the morphing. I know we didn't raise a daughter who would be okay with this."

"Of all the things you could have done- we trusted you!" Peter shouted, more at Marco but it was felt by the entire group. Rachel was getting flushed with anger, but she didn't know what to say to calm everyone down.

{I do not understand why this is a breach of trust,} Ax said softly, startling the group. He circled around the Animorphs to stand furthest from Jake, beside Cassie, and give everyone some time to take a few breaths, {is it wrong that we have found comfort in our comrades?} He kept his tail low in the dark and let it brush against Cassie's ankles. Ax was aware humans liked physical contact when they felt distressed.

Marco wanted to hide his face in the dirt. Ax had meant well, and had thought that the parents realized the everyone included the alien in the group. He was wrong.

"Eww!" Jordan said first, "he's a horse!"

{I am an Andalite,} Ax said reflexively.

"Rachel- and _Jake_ ," Naomi said, "what the hell has gotten into you? I know for a fact you were raised to be good people- not get involved in something disgusting like- like _this_!" She gestured at the group.

"This really isn't right," Loren spoke up, "I understand you all have been through a lot together, but you've gotten confused along the way. I'm sure some counselling will help."

"This is so wrong," Walter said, "Cassie what happened to our good girl? I never thought you would be capable of this."

Cassie flinched and looked like she was about to cry, "War changes people, dad." Marco raised a hand like he was going to comfort her but thought better of it in front of their parents and pulled back.

"You can't blame everything that you do wrong on war," Naomi said, "plenty of men go off to war and don't end up sleeping with each other!"

"Mom you have _no_ idea what we've been through!" Rachel shouted, taking a step forwards as if she were going to charge. Jake put a steadying hand in her elbow to hold her back, "if you're going to be upset about something then you should be upset about all the laws we've broken- not the people we love!"

The stunned silence that followed was likely due to Rachel including the word 'love' rather than the parents thinking about what she had actually said. Jake gave her a small tug back into line beside him and she breathed out through her nose to try and calm down.

"Jake, Rachel," Michelle spoke up, watching them very carefully, "you are aware that incest is illegal, right?"

Naomi whirled on Michelle in an instant, "What the hell are you saying? My family is no backwater redneck trash you-"

"Our children are confused!" Walter cut in, "just look at them- they have no idea that what they're doing is wrong. I know we didn't raise Cassie to be like this, and I know Rachel was a good girl before this all started."

Jake tightened his grip on Rachel's arm. Marco had shifted to stand closer to Cassie, brushing his shoulder against hers when she didn't want to hold his hand in front of everyone.

{Just let them fight it out,} Tobias whispered secretly to the Animorohs, {they're upset right now but they'll be a lot calmer once they've slept the initial shock off.}

"Marco would never do a thing like this- he knows the line between good and bad," Peter was yelling.

They were all yelling, beginning to blame one another for raising bad kids. They were trying to blame individual kids themselves. Rachel was seeing red, held back only by Jake's warm touch on her arm.

"What would your parents say if they knew?" Eva said, looking right at Jake. Rachel felt Jake flinch, and that was the final straw for her.

"Enough!" She shouted, "you're all so obsessed about us dating each other when you should be upset by the fact that we've been _lying_ to you for years! We're fighting a war- we've been sneaking out, we've been destroying buildings and cars and airplanes! We've _killed_ people! We've _all_ killed more things than we can count! Be mad at us for wrecking your truck when Visser Three sent that dust monster after us. Be mad at all the times we have broken into places- we've broken into the Gardens more than I've paid to go there! In the face of all of those laws we've broken and more, seriously, Jake is the _least_ illegal thing I have done."

It took a few moments into the stunned silence for Rachel to register the complete shock on everyone's faces and realize what she had said.

{Holy shit,} Tobias said privately to her.

Nervously Rachel glanced around. Cassie had her hands clamped over her mouth, eyes wide, and Marco's jaw was on the ground. All four of Ax's eyes were focused in her, and all four looked shocked. She couldn't believe she'd said it either.

Terrified, she turned to look at Jake. He was going to kill her. They had never openly talked about it but they both knew that they could never come clean about their relationship.

Jake was staring straight ahead into the fire, not even looking at her. He'd pulled his hand away and had his arms crossed over his chest. She'd never seen him so angry.

Then- a flicker of a smile on the corner of Jakes mouth, and he burst out _laughing._

Rachel wanted to sit down in shock. Several of their parents did, her mother included.

"I can't believe you said that!" Marco shouted, sounding slightly hysterical, "Xena- you've got some nerves!"

Jake composed himself quickly, wiping the laughter off his face and standing straight again.  
"We never wanted any of you to find out about the six of us, especially like this," he said, "because it doesn't involve you. We are happy together, we're not hurting anyone, and we are not asking your permission. This is the last time I want to hear this topic until after the war."

"Jake," Peter said gravely, "you need to find somewhere else to stay. You can't share a bed with my son."

"Dad!" Marco snapped.

Jake held up a hand to silence him, "I understand. Ax would you mind if I stayed with you?"

{My scoop is not as closed as your human cabins, but I would gladly give you a place to rest Prince Jake,} Ax said.

"I've got room," Loren said unexpectedly, "everyone else is sharing a cabin with someone, but it's just Champ and myself in mine."

Jake looked surprised by the kindness, "Thank you- that would be great."

The group broke quickly after that, each parent wanting individual words with their child and Jake needed to move the belongings he did have to Loren's cabin. Naomi wanted to speak to Rachel alone so Sara and Jordan were once again left to their own devices.

"So Rachel kisses all of them?" Sara said, wrinkling her nose, "boys are gross."

"And Cassie. Rachel kisses girls too!" Jordan sighed, "like, she already has Tobias and so what if he's a little weird. Why did she have to go and take _all_ of the boys?" She was really just talking about Marco but it was easier to be mad at Rachel if she pretended Rachel was actively trying to ruin her life.

"I don't want to turn into animals anymore," Jordan said, "if it means I have to kiss cousin Jake then it's not worth it."

"Yuck," Sara agreed.


End file.
